RWBY: Fates of Worlds Apart
by Asteral de Tellimor
Summary: Dust: the source of all man's power against the evil that threatens the world. Five years after Ruby Rose first set foot in Beacon, she and her team, friends, allies and enemies are set on a path to a terrible truth. For whilst Dust gives them power, power that protects them from the Grimm, it does so at a great and terrible price. One they may not be willing to pay...
1. A Fortunate Reunion

**Greetings, dear readers. Among my many interests that constantly bicker for my attention, RWBY has recently been foremost among them, so I thought I'd do this little way off future universe fic for your reading delight and professional consideration. I started writing this before Christmas with the intention of publishing it before Christmas but, you know, work, Christmas, The Force Awakens, Christmas, life & Christmas all got in the way, sooo... Better late than never! Enjoy!**

 **All non-original characters and places belong to Rooster Teeth, and the cover art is used with gratitude towards Tekhuma, even though I can't find them on DeviantArt again to say so.**

* * *

Blake was curled up on her bed, the soft fabric of her duvet wrapped around her folded legs. The book she was reading was propped up in front of her, resting on her thighs, a mug of hot cocoa warming her hands. She could feel the cold from outside through her silky black yukata, but she didn't mind. In fact, she rather liked the holiday season, despite the fact that no one on Remnant could even remember what the holiday was in aid of. She turned her amber eyes to look out at the snow gently falling, accumulating on the windowsill. It was almost picture perfect.

She smiled and returned to her book, a history of the Menagerie Exodus. Despite the rather dark theme, she found it strangely fascinating. Perhaps it gave her a better view of the world with the realisation that things were once much worse for her people than they were today. Although most of that feeling she attributed to her friends, the people that she now lived with in the large house they rented in downtown Vale. Her teammates, Ruby, Weiss and Yang were probably downstairs in the dining room, locked in another epic battle of Remnant Wars with Jaune. Pyrrha was probably calling her mother – it was the weekend, the usual time she set aside for such things. Ren was at work, teaching in the local huntsman school, investing his training in educating future Huntsmen and Huntresses after his injury took him from active service, and Nora was probably still at the store, buying all the things they needed for their first holiday celebration together. All in all, life was good. It was damn near perfect, save for one minor issue…

She was lifted from her reverie by someone rapping on her door.

"Knock, knock!" Yang's cheerful voice came through, before letting herself into the room. The last five years hadn't changed Yang much. She was still the loud, boisterous happy-go-lucky brawler she had been when they'd first met in the Emerald Forest. Physically she was also largely the same. She'd put on a little more muscle since – the result of extensive physical conditioning from their time in Beacon – but other than that she was the same. Same blonde hair that no one dared touch, same big purple eyes – well, most of the time anyway – that gave away so many of her emotions. The same big heart that had saved Blake in more ways than one.

"Hey, Yang." Blake smiled up at her partner.

"Wow, eleven thirty a.m. and you're still in your pyjamas." Yang commented, although Blake could never tell if she was surprised or impressed when she said such things.

"It is Saturday, Yang." She pointed out. "I'm allowed to lie in once in a week, aren't I?"

"True enough." Yang chuckled. "Mind if I join you?"

"Sure." Blake gestured to the free side of the double bed, which Yang gracelessly flopped onto. "How'd the game go?"

"Meh." Yang reported. "Ruby and Jaune brokered an alliance early on, and once they'd taken Vacuo, we had no chance. Especially with that traitor Weiss holding out on me all the time." Blake chuckled at Yang's faux animosity. She had never truly mastered the nuances of Remnant Wars, and perhaps it was for the best. She never liked being in conflict with her friends, in any way. "What'cha reading?"

"This? A Brief History of the Menagerie Exodus."

"Wow, deep stuff. Isn't that a little dark for this time of the morning?"

"Not really. Reading this reminds me that things are a lot better than I think they are."

"That's true." Yang smiled gently up at her. "I'm glad you're seeing things that way, Blakey. Especially after all the effort it took to get you out of that damned bow." Blake smiled sheepishly, her cat ears flicking gently as they instinctively twitched towards the noises throughout the house. In their third year, after the Kingdoms enacted new pro-equality laws, heavily enforcing equal rights for all Faunus and pardoning most of the former White Fang supporters, Blake had become comfortable enough with her Faunus nature that they had finally convinced her to remove her bow for good. For the last two years, she had proudly put her ears on show, and relished in her newfound freedom.

"And I'm grateful that you did." Blake nodded at Yang.

"You do look better without it." Yang agreed. She looked at her fingers nonchalantly, and Blake mentally braced herself for the proposal that she knew was about to follow. "So, Blakey, the girls and I are heading out on the town tonight. You wanna come with?"

"Yang, you know that clubbing is hardly my scene."

"Who said we were going clubbing?" Yang tried to ask innocently. Blake's piercing deadpan look saw straight through it. "Ok, so we might be going clubbing. What's wrong with that?"

"There's nothing wrong with it, and I wish you a good time as always."

"Come on, Blake, why don't you join us? You'll have a good time." Yang looked up at her with those big eyes that were almost on the verge of begging her. "It won't be as bad as last time, I swear."

"Yang, Ren and I had to bail you, Ruby and Weiss out of jail, and Weiss couldn't remember her real name for three days."

"Like I said!" Yang sighed, Blake's obstinate view of their social lives ever a difficult challenge to surmount. "Look, I know that the party scene is hardly your thing, but going out without you just seems, wrong, you know? Besides, after last time it would kinda be a good idea to have someone that we know will stop us from doing anything too crazy."

"You mean like tearing up Junior's club? Again?"

"He should have reinforced his tables better."

"Or drunkenly buying everything in that sex store?"

"Fun times!" Yang beamed at the memory.

"Or climbing the statue in the centre of Beacon's courtyard and shouting "Oobleck's hot shit!" to the entire Academy alumni?"

"Ok, maybe that last one wasn't exactly one of our best moments." She winced as she remembered the talk that Ozpin had given them the next day. And Glynda. And Uncle Qrow. "…Which is exactly why you should come out with us! You can stop us from doing something really stupid." Yang enthused, still not giving up on her quiet friend. Blake sighed, wondering if Yang's admittedly good point was actually worth following through. She looked over at her wardrobe, seeing in her mind's eye the purple party dress she had worn to their graduation party and just how good it looked on her.

"Alright, I'll go." Blake braced herself for the barrage of squeals that was about to hit her.

"Yes! You're gonna have so much fun!"

"Just, try to go easy on the alcohol, ok?" Blake pleaded with her eyes as much as her voice. "As much as I don't mind bailing you out, I'd rather only hear about your many drunken adventures from the duty sergeant, not experience them first hand."

"Fair enough. I promise I will not drink too much." Yang relented. "Not that I can guarantee Ruby and Weiss won't agree to that."

"You'd think a Schnee would have a little more self-respect."

"True. But, then again, after that fracas with her dad…" The two girls winced internally, remembering the last time Weiss' father had been mentioned. Halfway through their third year, he had tried to pull Weiss out of Beacon, believing it was taking her too far away from the company. Turns out he was right; they had rather hotly argued the subject, and it had even turned violent. Fortunately, her father was no match for her three years of combat training at Beacon, or the fact that her sister had intervened before things got too messy. The first the girls had heard of it was when Winter had half-dragged, half-carried Weiss back to their dorm, blood trailing from her forehead and from Myrtenaster's blade, only one source her own. After she recovered, she denounced her claim to the company and refused to have anything more to do with it or her father.

"Well, anyway, we're heading out around six, so be ready for then." Yang said whilst getting up to go. She turned back for a moment at the door. "Why don't you wear that party dress you wore to graduation? I guarantee you'll turn heads in that." She winked at her partner, before closing the door behind her. And there was the minor issue again.

Yang had never had any trouble with relationships: every time she went out with the girls on a night out that didn't end with them behind bars, she always managed to hook up with someone. Often they wouldn't hear from her again until she came back the next afternoon. Weiss, while still a little aloof regarding men, had entertained a few boyfriends – and one secret girlfriend that they absolutely knew nothing about – over the years. Jaune had finally gotten clued up towards Pyrrha, with a little help from, well, everybody, and they had been together since their sophomore year. Ren and Nora were, well, whatever they were. Even Ruby had gotten lucky on occasion, though she was careful to keep her sister at arm's length over the subject. Apparently, Yang could be a little sensitive toward boys who had taken an interest in her sister in their youth; the mental image Blake had gleaned was of Ruby nervously looking back on a trail of bloodied corpses. But Blake…

Blake had never been very good with relationships. In fact, she'd go so far as to say she was absolutely terrible with them. She had once tried her luck one of the many online dating websites. The guy seemed nice. Tall, brunette, intelligent, charismatic, or at least so his profile had said. She had agreed to a date, but when the time came she got so nervous that she locked herself in her room for the entire evening. Perhaps it was her introverted nature, perhaps it was her general mistrust for strangers. Although, if she was being honest, it was, most likely, because of him…

 _No, stop it Blake! Stop that shit now! Don't you_ dare _go there!_ She mentally chastised herself. She could already feel her heart beginning to race, her breathing becoming rapid and shallow. It had been years since she last saw him, and he still haunted her. He still hung over her, like a dark, deep shadow that she couldn't escape from…

 _That's it. You're definitely going out with the girls tonight._ Her subconscious ordered her. _You need to let loose, girl._ She opened her eyes that she had barely noticed had been screwed up tight in panic, and looked around herself with renewed vigour. _If I'm going out clubbing, I'm going to need to prepare._

She got out of bed, and immediately went over to her wardrobe to decide what she would wear. Which didn't take long, considering her wardrobe consisted of her combat gear, her _other_ combat gear, two yukatas, the party dress, the dress she wore to the ball in their first year, and two, maybe three t-shirts, trousers and shorts.

 _So, the party dress it is._ She looked at her feet. _And maybe some new shoes. I'll ask Weiss where she shops._ The next job was, of course, makeup. She opened a draw in her dresser and brought out – _Ah. That's right. I don't even use eyeliner anymore._ _Another thing to go shopping for._

Just as she had decided that it might be worth sacrificing her monthly 'new book fund' stipend to buy the things she needed for tonight, her bedroom door burst open, and she was tackled to the floor by a speeding rose petal-propelled missile she had come to interpret as the typical arrival of Ruby.

"Ohmygod Blake! You're coming out clubbing with us! It's gonna be so amazing! You're gonna love it! Oh, I can't wait I can't wait I can't wait!" Ruby squealed without taking a single breath.

"Oh, for goodness' sake, give her some room to breathe, you dolt!" Said a disembodied voice that was obviously Weiss. It was obvious even without seeing her that she was only humorously annoyed, and when Ruby finally let go of the poor Faunus she had pinned to the floor, Blake could see a small smile grace Weiss' teardrop face.

Of all of them, Weiss and Ruby had changed the most since they had first met. Whereas before Weiss had been pretty in an almost dainty kind of way (not that anyone would ever say that to her face – not even Jaune), now it was clear exactly how much she and her sister were alike. Weiss had filled out into her full adult body now; her legs were clearly toned, again the universal result of huntress training, her upper body had become equally more defined, and those hips were made to stop the hearts of every man she passed in the street. The fact that she had abandoned her beloved combat skirt in favour of a more chic white blouse and ¾ length jeans and _finally_ decided to wear her hair down, only served to accentuate her killer body. And as for Ruby...

Ruby had grown up fast in Beacon, and Blake was damned if it hadn't worked wonders for her. When they had first met, she was still a young girl, all wide-eyed, knobbly knees and the picture of innocence. Although her personality hadn't changed all that much, her body had undergone an immense transformation, namely an incredible growth spurt that now put her at eye-level with Pyrrha. Her legs had filled out, much the way her sister's had, and whilst her bust wasn't as, prominent, as Yang's, she now had 'a rack to be proud of', as Yang had quite brazenly put it. She had also let her hair grow out, letting it fall to the middle of her back when it wasn't tied up in a loose braid.

"I know, I know. But Blake's coming clubbing with us!" She smiled back at Weiss.

"I know. I still can't quite believe it, but I know." Weiss chuckled at Blake's irritated expression. "But before we get there…" Before Blake could stop her, Weiss had walked over to her wardrobe and flung its doors wide.

"Oh no." Weiss whimpered.

"What's wrong Weiss?" Ruby was at her arm in a second, her concern genuine as ever.

"Don't look Ruby, it's horrifying." Weiss turned away from the wardrobe dramatically, eyes shut in an expression of horror and despondency. Ruby, meanwhile examined the contents of the wardrobe herself, giving it a more critical eye-over.

"Hmmm." Ruby scratched her chin thoughtfully. "It is a bit bare."

"What's wrong with my wardrobe?" Blake asked her accusingly, now standing next to her shoulder.

"Well, it's just that… Umm." Ruby screwed her face up, trying to think of the easiest way to explain it. "How do I explain it? Well, Weiss' wardrobe is more like…"

"So big it could contain an entire fantasy land inside of it?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Ruby looked at Weiss, who was now pretending to faint onto Blake's bed. "Weiss, I think this calls for an intervention." Weiss snapped up like a shot, her fake faint-headedness gone in an instant.

"An intervention, you say?" Weiss grinned at Ruby, who returned the expression before turning to look down at Blake.

"Blake, get dressed." Ruby said. "We're taking you to the mall."

* * *

"Yes, Mother, I've bought the cards for Byza and Orchid." Pyrrha spoke into her scroll. "Of course, I mailed them yesterday, they should arrive in the next couple of days. I told you before, I'm coming home on the 19th. Of course Jaune is coming, we agreed. Every other year we'd stay with each other's parents over the holiday." Her boyfriend leaned over the back of the sofa at the mention of his name, placing a small, sweet kiss on her forehead, which she returned with a contented smile. "I'm doing most of my gift shopping in Vale. Uh-huh. I'm locking my cases before we leave the house. You know what Byza can be like when he suspects there are unwrapped presents for him lying around." She chuckled softly with her mother on the other end, wrapping her free arm around Jaune as he sat next to her. "I'll make sure to do just that. I'm heading into town later to pick up our tickets anyway. Of course. I'll see you on the 21st. I love you too, Mother. Bye." She pressed the 'end call' button on her scroll, before gently tossing it onto the coffee table and snuggling deeply into Jaune's warm sweater. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply, taking in the flowery scent of his freshly laundered pullover. "Do you have everything ready for the holiday?"

"Just about." Jaune answered, gently caressing the skin above her right hip. "I may need some pointers on what to get for your mom, though." Pyrrha thought for a moment, wondering what Jaune could get for her mother that she didn't already have.

"I'm afraid I can't help you much there, Jaune." Pyrrha admitted. "Although, the fact that you're getting her anything will go a long way towards impressing her." Jaune laughed at that.

"Please, I don't need to impress your mother." Jaune reassured, well, himself if he was being completely honest. "She was happy enough that you'd found someone who you couldn't scare off." Pyrrha looked at him in faux innocent shock.

"I don't scare people off."

"Honey, you do when you try to date them."

"That's not my fault." Pyrrha murmured, snuggling deeper into her boyfriend's warm embrace.

"I know, Pyrrha." Jaune soothed the gladiatrix. "I know." Jaune's attention was caught briefly by the newscast on the holoscreen.

" _Despite the best efforts of workers and volunteers, the Vermillion Pass remains blocked by heavy snowfall. All ground traffic out to the eastern area of Mistral has been suspended until further notice._

 _In other news, the convicted war criminal Roman Torchwick, once infamous for being the mastermind of the White Fang's attempt to destroy the kingdom of Vale several years ago, continues to evade the authorities. However, Cardin Winchester, the leader of the team pursuing the terrorist leader, believes that he has cornered him in the ruins of Mountain Glenn. Commander Winchester couldn't be contacted directly for an interview, but has once again appealed to the public to remain vigilant for any sightings of Torchwick, and if he is spotted to contact the authorities immediately. The commander has also warned against approaching him in any way, describing Torchwick as an exceptionally dangerous individual with little self-restraint and no consideration for civilian casualties."_

"Looks like Cardin's having a busy holiday." Jaune commented.

"So it would seem." Pyrrha said. "He's made quite the name for himself in the Interpol Network."

"That he has." Jaune mused. "His entire team has, for that matter."

"So you heard the good news too?!" Jaune and Pyrrha smiled ruefully as Nora's P.A. system of a voice rang through the house.

"What good news?" Pyrrha called back, the pair of them getting up from the sofa and entering the kitchen to help their teammate with her festive shopping.

"Haven't you heard?" Nora asked, confused for a moment before her face lit up as she realised they didn't know yet. "You don't know yet!"

"I assume we're about to find out any second now." Jaune quipped, his sarcasm going completely over Nora's head as she tried to contain her excitement, her whole body quivering with excitement.

"You remember that Sun and the guys stopped in Vale's aeroport for a couple of hours on their way back to Mistral?" Jaune and Pyrrha nodded blankly, only vaguely remembering Nora talking about it. "Well, the snowstorm is apparently a _lot_ worse at flying altitude, so all flights eastbound have been cancelled."

"Wait, cancelled?!" Jaune and Pyrrha both adopted a look of utter shock, alarmed at the news and not excited like Nora. "How is that a good thing?"

"Because they can spend the holiday season with us!" Nora squealed, bouncing up and down in excitement. They looked at each other, their expressions of horror replaced with excited smiles.

"That is good news." Pyrrha laughed. "Where are they staying?"

"Oh, they were looking for a hotel when I bumped into them on Main Street."

"What? Nora, why didn't you invite them to stay with us?!" Jaune turned to grab his coat and shoes, fully prepared to run out into the biting cold to stop his friends from wasting money on a hotel, only to bump into –

"Dude, relax." Neptune gave Jaune his famous charming smile. "She already did."

* * *

"And so remember, the careful and precise application of your aura as a shield is far more effective and efficient than simply raising a wide physical barrier to protect yourself." Ren was lecturing his students, or rather those who were dedicated enough to turn up to his optional Saturday afternoon sessions. "Although an impractical technique against ranged projectiles, such as bullets, arrows and nevermore feather spears, when against an opponent striking at close range, the minimalistic application of your aura in this way will extend your aura reserves considerably. This advantage is exceptionally formidable in extended combat, and may mean the difference between life and death in the field. Any questions?" Opal, a fox Faunus who was training as a martial artist, raised her hand.

"Have you ever used this technique in battle before, sir?" She asked.

"As it so happens, I used it against a King Taijitu in the Emerald Forest, during my initiation into Beacon. I channelled my aura exclusively into the palms of my hands, and used them to hold back the creature by its fangs." There were several gasps of astonishment amongst the students. For the inexperienced, Ren mused, being that close to a Grimm, especially one so powerful, must sound impressive.

"It's just, it doesn't seem the most practical technique." Opal continued. "It sounds like it requires a lot of concentration, far more than is readily available in the heat of combat."

"It may seem so, but fighting Grimm is not the messy chaos of human war." Ren explained. "It's less like warfare and more like hunting, appropriately enough." His small joke earned a few chuckles around the lecture theatre. "Facing Grimm that powerful is rare, even in the wilder parts of the world, so you will more often than not attack these creatures one-on-one rather than in a large group. Also, their rarity means that they are often prioritised in search and destroy missions, meaning you are likely prepared to attack such targets specifically. That being said, such a skill requires focus. Fortunately, it is an ability that can be practised." Ren flared his aura in demonstration, the violet hue surrounding his slim body, before focussing it into two flares emanating from his extended index fingers. "With regular practise, the sensation of aura shield focussing can become a familiar habit, like becoming fluent in another language, or learning to play an instrument. In time, it can even become instinctual, to the point where you do not have to consciously use it; when you need it, it shall simply be there." He let the flares dissipate, checking his wristwatch as he did so. "And I believe that is all the time we have for today. I shouldn't need to remind you that your assignment on Grimm anatomy is due on Monday." There were a few groans amongst the gathered students, as the realisation that their weekends had just been condemned to essay writing hit them again. "However, considering it is the festive season, I'll extend the deadline to Friday afternoon." He smiled at the relieved faces that now dominated the auditorium. "I shall see you first thing Monday morning. Class dismissed." As Ren gathered his lecture notes and packed them into his satchel, his scroll buzzed. He didn't even have to look at it to know that Nora had messaged him. _Guess what?!_ The message read.

 _If we're out of pancakes, I'll buy some from the store on the way home._ He swiftly typed and sent to her. Not a minute later, he received a reply.

 _No, silly. I went shopping today, didn't I? We've got visitors!_ Intrigued, Ren quickly messaged her back, asking who was visiting. Twenty seconds later, he received a reply. It was simply a photo, taken on Nora's scroll, showing herself and her arm wrapped tightly around a slightly unnerved Scarlet. Ren smiled. It had been far too long since their teams had last been together.

 _Bad weather cancelled flight?_ His friendship with Nora meant he was able to absorb most of the information that poured endlessly out of her mouth when she talked at him, more so than the others.

 _Of course. What else?_ Ren chuckled at his partner's response – although he understood her well enough, she assumed that everyone had Ren's masterful understanding of her personality.

 _I'll be home shortly. Just finishing up._ He messaged her, before putting his scroll in his pocket, putting on his thick winter coat and closing his satchel. The satchel in his left hand, he picked up the ornate cane leaning next to his desk, before slowly limping out of the lecture hall. He waved goodbye to the duty receptionist before walking out into the heavy snowfall. _No wonder their flight was cancelled._ Ren thought to himself. He put the collar in his coat up, in a paltry effort to stave off the cold, and carefully made his way to the house. It was only five minutes and three streets away, but in this weather, with treacherous ice and snow underfoot, it was not going to be easy going. His bad leg wouldn't help either.

"Having a little trouble there?" It took a moment for Ren to recognise the voice, and when he did he turned to see a tall man with messy white hair and a green jacket standing behind me, a carefree smile adorning his face.

"Professor Ozpin." Ren greeted his old headmaster, his surprise obvious in his tone. "What brings you down into Vale?"

"I often go into Vale, Ren. Do you honestly believe I spend all of my time in my office?" Ren and Ozpin chuckled. "With the holidays upon us, and a distinct lull in my duties, I needed to get out for some fresh air."

"So, naturally, you chose to take a relaxing walk around the city during the worst snowstorm in fifty years?" Ren gave him a questioning look. It said, _I know it's no coincidence that your 'walk' took you right past the school I teach at._

"Naturally." Ozpin answered, but his own look said, _I know you know, Ren. We've long since given up trying to deceive each other._ Ren realised that the headmaster had intentionally bumped into him, and that his reason for doing so was of great importance.

"Perhaps I could invite you back for a drink, Professor. Just for old times' sake." Ren offered.

"Perhaps you could." Ozpin smiled, knowing Ren had understood his covert intentions, before gesturing for Ren to lead on. The two Huntsmen walked side by side down the snow-covered road, their canes leaving a dotted trail in the snow behind them.

"You're coming at a good time, Professor." Ren said. "Team SSSN found themselves stranded here by the storm, and are now staying with us until it passes."

"Really?" Ozpin's eyes took on a more distinctive gleam. "How… fortuitous."

* * *

 **So, yes. I absolutely know exactly where I'm going with this. Yes! (Shifty eyes). Feedback is much appreciated. So are suggestions and requests. Virtual cookies are up for grabs.**


	2. Resolving Past Promises

**So, apparently this story has gathered interest. Much obliged. Apologies for this chapter taking so long, but with the nuclear bombshell that was the final episode, I kinda had to rethink my intentions of how this was going to pad out. Thankfully, I have found the way forward! I also apologize if this chapter seems to be chasing it's own tail a bit. The plot works on several non-canon assumptions that have yet to be revealed. Anywho, enjoy!**

 **All characters belong to Rooster Teeth.**

* * *

When Blake had agreed to go out that evening with her team, she was pretty sure that agreement hadn't covered being dragged into Vale's most luxurious – and expensive – clothes store. It wasn't that she had anything against the store, or the clothes, or the fact that she was being dragged around it by her best friends. Her ire stemmed from the brief glimpse of the price tag attached to one of the articles of clothing in the fabric mountain she was now carrying, or more accurately, the excessive number of digits that appeared on it. As much as she was grateful for their help and generosity, she knew for a fact that, even between them, they would likely only just be able to afford these. And as much as they would likely ignore her protests…

"Girls, seriously." Blake stopped them before this madness could continue. "I know you're trying to help, but really? 150 lien for a dress?"

"Are you mad?" Weiss laughed. "I'm not paying 150 lien for a dress." Blake almost felt relieved, but then she realised exactly what Weiss meant by that. "I'm paying 150 lien for a Viridian Eastwood Winter Collection 'Urbania' dress, specially designed for the chic and sexy city girl to tear up the town and the dance floor."

"You did not seriously memorize all that from a brochure, did you?" Blake stared at her fashionista friend in despondent shock.

"Well, that is the look you wanted, right?" Weiss defended herself.

"Well, yeah, sure. I wanted a chic dress." Blake held up the pile. "Not the entire line."

"Pfft, please." Weiss dismissed her concerns before dragging her to the changing rooms. "You could at least try them on." She called over the changing room door. Blake found she couldn't deny her that, at least. And she secretly did actually like most of what she had been given to try on.

After asking the girls to give her some time to try everything on, and hearing them walk off to get coffee, Blake looked critically over the articles she had been landed with, before selecting a dark purple dress that caught her eye. _And only 50 lien, too._ She thought humourously. She took off her long wool coat and hung it on the back of the door, before stripping down to her underwear and slipping the dress over her outstretched arms. The silky fabric smoothed over her lithe body with no resistance – it could almost have been tailor-made for her. When she had fastened the dress with the conveniently placed side zipper, she moved to the mirror and eyed herself over. She liked the dress a lot, mainly because of its simplicity; it was a single piece of purple fabric, with a low cut neck, but not too much, and the sleeves cut off at the elbows. And it looked great on her. _Damn._ Blake thought. _Maybe Yang was right after all._ After five minutes of admiring the dress on her from every conceivable angle, she was already in love with it. She carefully took the dress off, already satisfied with the dress alone, when she caught sight of something else in the pile of clothing. She gently lifted it up to reveal a lingerie set in about her size that made her blush.

 _I guess Yang isn't the only one trying to take an interest in my sex life._ She made to hide the scant pieces as deep in the pile as she could, when something made her stop. Her amber eyes looked over the sheer black underwear, and from somewhere deep down within her came a curiosity that she didn't know existed. Against her more conservative instincts, she unclasped her bra and slid her pants off, after double-checking the bolt on the door was securely shut. With tentative anticipation, she slowly pulled the jet black lacy underwear on, before fastening the rather revealing bra around her bust. She looked in the mirror once again, her face betraying her conflicting emotions. On the one hand, if Yang ever found out she had bought these, she would never live it down. On the other… damn girl, she looked good. Eventually, her shy nature was ousted by the allure she cast on even herself, convincing herself that if anyone asked, she could say that they went well with the dress.

Donning her usual clothes, she carefully folded the dress over the undergarments and left the rest for the store clerks to handle. She bought the clothes herself, thankful that the cashier didn't so much as bat an eyelid at the risqué lingerie, and left the store to find Weiss and Ruby sitting in a coffee shop on the mall's upper floor. After showing them what she had bought, much to Weiss' chagrin that she hadn't bought _any_ designer labels, they paid a quick stop at a perfumers to get the 'essentials' as Weiss had referred to them, and headed for home. Not before they had to drag Ruby out of the nearest bakery first, though. Despite her maturation over the years, some habits really did die hard. On the way back, Weiss talking animatedly about something or other, Ruby munching happily from the bag of cookies they had bought to placate her, Blake smiled, realising that she hadn't done something this relaxing in far too long. _I wonder what the others are up to,_ she thought as they rounded the corner into the small cul-de-sac that their house sat on.

* * *

"… and then, Ren and I leaped onto his back, him doing his whole forcefield grabby trick thing, and me bringing Magnhild down unto him in a devastating arc of righteous fury!" Nora exclaimed, her manic smile unnervingly prominent.

"And that's how 'Eggy the Eggman' became the key ingredient in a short stack of pancakes." Jaune clarified to a slightly shell-shocked Neptune. Jaune, Yang, Nora and Neptune were seated around the fireplace, Jaune on the loveseat that was by unspoken agreement left for him and Pyrrha, Neptune sitting in the leather, high-backed armchair that Ren normally used and Yang curled up on the red velvet distressed sofa that Nora was acting out her story on.

"Guys," he finally said after processing what was, in fairness, quite an epic tale of glory, romance and treachery **(A/N: No, really!)** as Nora skipped upstairs. "You seriously need to get out more."

"Oh, we know." Yang chuckled. "As a matter of fact, we're planning on hitting the town tonight, if you wanna come with."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world!" The blue-haired dork grinned, before adopting a more serious tone. "Although, do you reckon we could, you know, tone it down a little after last time? I really don't want to re-enact the Great Bar Blaze 0f 84 if I can help it." Yang grimaced by way of agreement.

"Yeah, we probably should." She rubbed the back of her neck in awkward embarrassment, then remembered who else was coming with them as she heard them come in the door. "Luckily, Blake's coming with us, so she can stop us from doing all the crazy shit we normally get involved in!" Neptune gagged in surprise on the coffee he was drinking.

" _Blake's_ coming clubbing with us?" Neptune asked in disbelief. "How?!"

"I… may have talked her around to it." Yang teasingly admitted. "Besides, she knows that we genuinely do need a chaperone of some description with us."

"Nice going, hotshot!" Neptune said, using the nickname he had given her a few years back for gods know what reasons. "It'll be good to see her let loose. Who else is coming with? Jaune?"

"Afraid not, Nep." Jaune apologised. "I'm taking Pyrrha to the Sauvignon tonight."

"The Sauvignon, you don't say?" Neptune looked genuinely impressed. "That's that high end Mistrali restaurant, right?"

"The very same." Jaune smiled a little smugly. "As much as she insists she doesn't mind, I do have to take her out every so often, you know, do the whole actual 'we're dating' thing." Neptune nodded in agreement. "Besides, she misses the food from home."

"I don't blame her." The fellow Mistrali boy said. "Might go there myself while I'm here, treat the guys too. It's never quite as good as proper Mistrali home cooking, but you take the little pleasures where you find them, no?"

"Right." Jaune nodded. Yang noticed that he seemed a little distracted. "Besides, it's where we had our first proper date, so, yeah…" More than a little bit, it seemed.

"You okay, ladykiller?" Yang asked, her concern genuine.

"Oh yeah, yeah. Just fine." Jaune reassured her. "Just got something on my mind, that's all."

"Anything we can help with?" Neptune asked. They had all held on to their own secrets over the years; Blake's unscrupulous past, Jaune's falsified transcripts, even Neptune's fear of water, and they had learned that asking about any potential problems often defused them before they boiled over into something, well, catastrophic, destructive and invariably involving some Grimm and a dastardly plot to conquer the world. You get the idea.

"Well…" Jaune hesitantly looked around the room to make sure no one else was listening. "It's nothing bad, but you can't tell anyone. Especially not Pyrrha." They both agreed with fervent nods of their heads, agog to hear more of his secret planning as they leaned in closer. "You know how long Pyrrha and I have been together?"

"Three years, seven months, two weeks, four days and about five hours if I remember correctly." Yang smiled, counting the time off on her fingers. Neptune just stared at her. "What?"

"Um, yes." Jaune wondered why Yang knew so precisely how long they'd been together, but decided now was definitely not the time. "Well, I would be lying if I said that she wasn't the best damned thing that had ever happened to me."

"You've got that right." Neptune chuckled.

"So, seeing as it's the holiday season and all, I thought that now would be a good time to, well, take things a step further."

"A step further?" Yang said, confused. "Sweet Dust, Jaune, you two are practically glued together at the hip as it is, and when you get in the mood we virtually have to crowbar you two out of each other's pants." Jaune blushed heavily, giggling awkwardly. Whilst Yang was being her usual brusque self, he had to admit, their mutual sex life had been pretty proactive since they started dating. "Taking things a step further would be like what? Buying an apartment together? Getting a pet? _Adopting_? It's not like you're gonna ask her to… to…" Yang trailed off, a look of dawning realisation taking over her face as she realised that was, in fact, _exactly_ what he was going to do. It took a second or two for Neptune to catch up, but when he did, he looked incredulously at Jaune.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." He started, his voice _just_ betraying his growing excitement. "Am I right in thinking…?"

"Yeah, you are." Jaune smiled, a brighter, happier smile than he'd given anyone in a long time as he finally got to say it out loud. "I'm going to ask her to marry me."

* * *

Meanwhile, Pyrrha, completely oblivious to her partner's romantic scheming, was making lunch with Weiss. And by lunch, she of course meant sampling the crate of mixed vintage wines that had only yesterday arrived from Jaune's parents' vineyard. They had just opened a bottle of Riesling that seemed to hold promise.

"What's the vintage?" Weiss asked, swilling her glass under her nose, inhaling the honey-scented aroma. Pyrrha glanced at the label on the bottle.

"'69 a.v., grown from the Descartes fields in the southernmost part of the vineyards. A mixture of Amberol and Citraia berries, pressed using traditional methods and blended with the equivalent of a half-teaspoonful of Scimitar Bee honey, carefully selected from local apiaries, in each bottle.' " Pyrrha read the lengthy cursive script on the label. " 'It is said that the trace amount of Scimitar Bee venom that is found to be naturally present in the honey is rumoured to have a slight aphrodisiacal effect, as well as adding just a slight sour hint that perfectly counteracts the sickly sweetness of the honey, giving the Descartes Riesling a sweet yet refined taste that soothes the palate without overwhelming it.' Well, I honestly don't know what half of that actually means, but it sure does sound nice."

"Riesling's are known for their sweet taste; honey is often a staple ingredient in their distillation." Weiss commented, her eyes shut as she focussed on the pleasant aroma of the amber liquid. "Using Scimitar Bee honey is quite an ingenious idea, I must say. Seems that the Arcs have more to them than just their famous ancestors." She opened one eye to look at Pyrrha, who was now doing the same as her, before a mischievous thought crossed her mind, and put a sly smile on her face. "And as for the, ahem, aphrodisiacal qualities of the honey, maybe you could tempt your boyfriend to try a glass, hmm?" Pyrrha spluttered in embarrassment, almost dropping her glass, whilst Weiss giggled evilly at her.

"Weiss!" Pyrrha gave her a look of indignation. "Are you suggesting that I should lead poor, sweet Jaune into a sexual encounter by plying him with wine? From his own family's vineyard, nonetheless?"

"You hardly need to ply him with anything to do that, Pyrrha." Weiss gave her a pointed look, to which Pyrrha answered with a satisfied smile.

"True." She admitted. "But perhaps you might try following your own advice." Weiss snorted in derision.

"I believe that requires me to have someone in mind, dear." Weiss sighed dramatically, swilling her glass gently. "If only."

"So you're _not_ considering making a move on a certain Mr. Vasilias, then." Pyrrha said.

"Neptune?!" Weiss laughed at her friend's suggestion, almost convincingly. "Please, Pyrrha, I'm not seventeen anymore. He was just a skilled charmer who knew how to be a young girl's fantasy, nothing more."

"Weiss." Pyrrha put her glass down on the kitchen counter and looked at the shorter girl with a pointed expression. "Lie to yourself if you must, but don't try to lie to the girl who has set you up with every romantic partner you've ever had."

"Pyrrha, what do you -?"

" _Every_ partner." She raised an eyebrow at Weiss, making it clear exactly what – and who – she was referring to. "You're still attracted to him, aren't you?" Weiss lowered her glass, knowing when she was outmanoeuvred.

"Yeah. I guess I am." Weiss relented, unsure what to feel about it. "I don't know why it is. I mean, he was hardly the first to try seducing me. He wasn't even technically the first to succeed."

"Oh, I know." Pyrrha chuckled conspiratorially, earning a small smile for her trouble.

"It's just, I don't know." Weiss huffed, struggling to put into words her feelings toward the Mistrali man. "I got along better with all the other partners you found for me, we were far more romantically involved, and they put far more effort into it than he did. And yet…" Weiss closed her eyes, steeling herself for the confession she was about to make. "On every first date, I always subconsciously compared them to him. Did they have his charm? Were they as good at smooth talking? Could they dance as well as him?"

"Weiss, Neptune can't dance at all."

"Exactly." Pyrrha laughed, but quickly realised that Weiss wasn't trying to crack a joke; she was genuinely distressed by the situation. "I just don't know, Pyrrha." She looked straight at the redhead, her eyes shimmering with conflicting emotions. "Why do I still have feelings for him?" Pyrrha had no idea what to say, so she went for the comforting friend solution. But just as she was about to say something, they were interrupted by an unlikely person.

"Perhaps you are looking at this the wrong way." Sage spoke quietly, as he always did, his deep voice lending to his wise authority.

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked, too conflicted to be upset at Sage's interruption of their very personal conversation.

"I've been Neptune's friend for years. We knew each other even before Haven." He said. "I don't think it would be news to you that you were hardly his first attempt at romance." They all smirked at that. "However, don't think for a moment that his charms are employed out of a need for, what is the word, conquest? Reputation?" The girls nodded their understanding. "Neptune may be a smooth talker, and a smoother player, but he is, without a doubt, the most honourable person I know." He put a hand on Weiss' shoulder, looking directly into her eyes. "When he pursued you back in Beacon, he wasn't doing so for your name, or affection, or even to satisfy his pride. He did so because he believed that your heart was worth the effort. You know he's never looked at a girl the same way since?"

"Really?" Weiss looked at him in wonder and surprise.

"Oh, he's tried. To anyone who doesn't know him like I do, they would say that he's the same. But I do know him. And I know that no woman he's met since has come close to being as perfect as you were to him." Weiss slowly smiled at the revelation, her happiness clearly evident. "And I think you know, deep down, why you can't forget him either."

"I do?" Weiss whispered.

"Yes. It's not his charm or his good looks that attracted you. It's his heart. He may not have been your first, but he was the first who genuinely cared for the woman behind the name. He didn't want your fame, or your money, or even your affection." Sage smiled gently. "He wanted your heart, and I think he may have got it." Weiss looked at Sage, her face depicting an expression somewhere between wonder and ecstasy, before tightly hugging the tall man and running upstairs in a passion of emotions. Pyrrha smiled gratefully at Sage.

"You have no idea how long we've been trying to make her that happy." She said.

"I might say the same about Neptune." Sage agreed. Pyrrha took a sip from the glass, savouring the sweet yet mellow taste that was exactly what the bottle promised. She gestured for Sage to try it from the glass that Weiss had forgotten completely about.

"Pity." He said after taking a sip. Pyrrha looked at him quizzically for a moment, wondering what he had found wrong with it. "Weiss would have really liked this vintage." Pyrrha smiled widely, laughing happily at Sage's observation. Looks like it really was going to be the season of good cheer after all.

* * *

While Weiss was happily getting overexcited at the revelation that Neptune might actually be the one after all, across the hall, and behind a firmly locked door, the romantic spirit was continuing to flourish. Unbeknownst to pretty much everyone, another budding romance had appeared within the teams, a relationship that had stood the test of time, distance, warfare and an overabundance of bananas.

Ruby reluctantly pulled her lips away from Sun's, the need for oxygen overriding the need for her boyfriend. She smiled happily at him, resting her chin on his still over-toned abs. He smiled down at her, gently caressing her lower back with his tail under the t-shirt she wore.

"Do you think that one day we might actually have to tell them we're dating?" Ruby asked him. They were both still amazed at the fact that no one had found out about them yet, even though they had started dating about two months after the end of their third year.

"You know, it may actually come to that." Sun marvelled. "Not that I have any problems with the way we are now." In fact, they both rather liked the secretive nature of their relationship. No awkwardness with their friends, no teasing from Yang; it was such a peaceful situation that they were both a little bit loath to undo it.

"It seems so." Ruby shifted herself up his body to kiss him again. "I wonder how Yang will react."

"Wonder or dread?"

"Sun!" She playfully hit him. "Yang's not that bad." Ruby thought about it for a second. "Well, not all the time anyway." Sun chuckled softly, before pulling her back in for another brief kiss.

"I'm only jesting, Rubes." He soothed her. "Yang's probably not going to kill me. She knows that I'd never do anything to hurt you." His dark eyes met her silver ones, both shining with the love they held for each other. "You are the best thing that ever happened to me, Ruby Rose, and no matter what, I will always be there for you." Ruby looked at him thoughtfully for a moment.

"Your flight wasn't really cancelled, was it?"

"We never even had tickets to board it." He proudly confessed, making Ruby's face split into the widest smile he'd ever seen.

"I love you, Sun."

"I love you too, Ruby." He gently caressed her cheek with his hand, slowly brushing through a stray strand of her hair. "Forever and always." Ruby shed a single tear of happiness as she kissed Sun again, this time slowly and sensuously, her eyes closed, gently biting his lower lip as she softly pulled away. She had no idea what she had done to deserve him – well, there were a few things she could think of, on reflection – but damn was she glad she did. And so, she suspected, was Sun.

* * *

Yang sat in the weapons workshop that was a standard addition to all huntsmen abodes, adjusting the servo's on her right hand. Seems that saving the entire kingdom of Vale – and perhaps the world – was worth a new arm. It certainly was in Ironwood's eyes; after he had rallied his troops and properly secured Vale, he had insisted on flying Yang back to Atlas so she could benefit from the cutting edge cybernetics facilities there. Truth be told, she wasn't going to argue, even if she had been in a position to do so. And damn if it wasn't a good job; the base carbon nanofibre servo joint had been calibrated to be the exact weight of her matching left forearm, so she couldn't actually distinguish the weight between them. She was given a variety of covers that served different uses that slipped over the servo joint like a glove. One was nothing more than aesthetic, with flexi-polymer padding designed to mimic the natural musculature of her other arm and a silicone cover that matched the colour of her skin. Yang supposed she would have used that one more often, if it weren't for the fact that she was never one to shy away from, well, anything, and the others were just so damned interesting.

One was a pure titanium hand unit, not dissimilar to the one that Ironwood himself had, and was just as strong. She tended to use that one when she went on missions. Another one was an admittedly extremely useful appendage they called the 'Jaws of Life'. It was essentially a multi-tool version of the rescue equipment used by firefighters and the like; primarily it was just a large, sharpened hydraulic clamp that could cut into cars, buildings, mechs, you name it. It also had a grappling claw attachment and a hydraulic brace that meant she could lift several thousand times above what she normally could – which was already pretty damned impressive – and meant she could effectively pick up a car, prop up a building or jack up a battlecruiser if needed. But the last one was arguably the most impressive, although she suspected it held more fascination for her sister than anything else; it was a tri-barrelled multi-cannon with a spotting laser, an electrical servo mount that could accurately shoot a hair of a flea at a thousand metres and had the equivalent stopping power of a herd of charging goliaths. She had put that claim directly to the test once – it wasn't wrong.

Her new arm had been nothing but a godsend. It had saved more lives than the rest of her friends combined, the majority _off_ the battlefield. It had given her the ability to take on enemies far beyond what she could have handled beforehand. It had even held its own in her social life, providing a suitably fascinating topic of conversation. And yet, despite all that, she resented it. Scratch that, she _loathed_ it. It wasn't so much the fact that it wasn't her real arm, or the fact that it was the result of a grievous injury. The latter she couldn't complain about; she knew full well that this kind of injury was likely as a career Huntress. She couldn't really say what was wrong about it; perhaps, she had convinced herself, it was the manner in which she lost it, the suddenness and violence of it. Perhaps it was also who was responsible for it that had her on edge. But, most likely, it was how she had reacted to losing her arm.

The way she had just shut down, retreated into herself, even when her baby sister had carried on the fight, going all the way to Mistral with what was left of team JNPR to face off against the deadliest enemies Remnant had ever faced; back then, nobody could have blamed her, but now, all she felt was shame. Burning shame, and endless regret.

So yes, she loathed the arm: it was a constant reminder that she had failed to protect the most important thing in the world to her. Not that she needed protecting, but the principle of the thing still stood. Besides, it had a tendency to develop faults that manifested in an uncontrollable twitch, one that required constant maintenance to correct. Hence why she had locked herself in the workshop. Normally, Ruby would have helped her, or more accurately done the work for her. Of the two, Ruby had always been the more technically minded. And besides, it also served as much needed bonding time between the two sisters. Today, though, Ruby had locked herself in her room, for whatever reason, and so Yang was attempting a self-repair. Of course, when you're trying to fix something with one hand, and not your dominant hand at that, it was incredibly frustrating. She cursed loudly as the tiny screwdriver she was using to delicately adjust the servos of her index finger slipped for the fifth time.

"For gods' sakes, this is just like picking out a needle in a needlestack." Yang complained. "How does Ruby enjoy this?"

"Perhaps I can be of some assistance." A calm voice came from the door. Yang looked up, her expression quizzical, to see Ozpin standing in the doorway.

"Oz!" Yang said, surprised. "This is an unexpected surprise." Ozpin chuckled, pulling up a work stool and gently taking the screwdriver from Yang.

"I was just in the neighbourhood, when I bumped into Mr. Lie." He said, dexterously manipulating the tool with the utmost precision. "He invited me back here."

"Right." Yang knew he was lying. And after the, incident, in the lost continent, she and Ozpin had shared the kind of connection that prevented any lies from being kept between them. "What really brought you here, Oz?" The old professor sighed, the kind of sigh that was reserved for the world-weary, those who had seen the passing of great events, some good, most bad.

"Do you remember the day that everything returned to normal?" He said quietly. Yang nodded; as if she could forget.

Somehow, everything had worked out. Salem was still out there, but her power was greatly diminished. Cinder was dead. The White Fang had returned to their previous position of peaceful protest, although these days largely unneeded. Adam Taurus, the man who had cut off her arm, Yang had later learned, had somehow disappeared completely, and Torchwick, who had somehow survived being eaten by a gryphon, was currently holed up in Mountain Glenn, cornered by Cardin and his team. And yet, there was that one minor issue…

"Is it time?" She asked him, just as quietly.

"Not yet." He answered, his expression grave. "But soon." He finished adjusting the servos, and she flexed her fingers experimentally. Perfect, as always. "Can I count on you, Yang?" He looked at her expectantly, but also a little afraid. Not afraid that she might refuse him – of that there was no doubt – but just afraid. She looked back, her eyes steely with resolve.

"Of course, Oz." She answered. "Always."


	3. The Call to Arms

**So, apparently the last time I updated this story was way back in March... Yeah, sorry about all this. Unfortunately, what with my final year at uni coming to an end, moving in with friends, properly moving away from home for the first time and all the spiel and nonsense that goes with all those things, life has been a little hectic in the last six months, so all of my stories were put on hold. Fortunately, I can report that things have calmed down since and, hopefully, it should be all systems go again.**

 **Anywho, here is chapter three! Where things happen! And the author is probably taking a few too many liberties with the canon (although that remains to be seen, with season 4 right around the corner; here's hoping!)! Enjoy!**

* * *

Cardin gazed out over the wintry ruins, the once thriving metropolis of Mountain Glen now barely a withered husk of what it once was, nothing short of an insult to the thousands of nameless innocents for whom the desolation served as their grave. He had tracked his quarry almost since his team had graduated. The chase after Roman Torchwick had led them across the globe – to every seedy nightclub and abandoned warehouse from Vacuo to Mistral and back again, it seemed – and now, if only for a moment, Cardin allowed himself the satisfaction of believing that his target had finally been cornered. He had Torchwick in his grasp, but now he had to figure out how to catch him without him slipping through his fingers for the umpteenth time.

"Commander." A snarky yet comfortably familiar voice called his rank.

"How many times do I have to beat such formalities out of you, Russel?" He sighed dramatically, but with a knowing smile, one which his partner returned.

"Ah, you know, only until the rookies know not to do the same." Russel quipped.

"Fair enough." Cardin chuckled. He turned his gaze back to the ruined settlement. "So, please tell me I'm not the only one not seeing a way out of this."

"Unfortunately not." Russel sighed. "I've been brainstorming with Sky and Dove for the past hour and a half. This is turning out just like Vacuo all over again."

"The Tauria district?"

"Mhm." Russel murmured. "You know, considering just how pissed Ironwood is at this, we could _probably_ get away with an airstrike or six."

"You really think that carpet bombing the place will work?" Cardin asked. "Besides, after the train incident all those years ago, I don't want to be the man responsible for stirring up the Grimm again."

"True enough." Russell agreed. He joined his leader in staring out across the wasteland, pondering their predicament.

"Why can't things be like they used to be?" Cardin lamented. "Just getting decent grades, doing easy missions for extra credit? What happened to the good old days?"

"Bad guys turned up, shit went south, and someone had to fix it." Russell was never one to mince words, a quality that Cardin respected. It was then, though, that he got an idea. "But what if that's the way?"

"How do you mean?"

"Instead of lamenting that things aren't easy anymore, make it easy." Russell explained. "We call in the guys from Beacon, get Ironwood's troops to close a perimeter, and just do what we do best."

"The old fashioned way?" Cardin smirked, liking where this was going.

"Of course." Russell smirked back. "Who do we call? RWBY? JNPR?"

"Yes." Cardin answered with an enthusiasm he hadn't felt in a long time.

"Which one?"

"All of them." Cardin grinned, a predatory look forming on his face. "If the War proved anything, it's that we're always stronger together. And that the slippery bastard never could get away from Commander Rose's girls."

* * *

"He sent the request for backup three days ago." Ozpin explained to his former pupils. "The Atlesian Navy deployed a carrier and locked down the outskirts of Mountain Glen using a prototype energy shield, effectively containing anything within it."

"An energy shield?" Blake commented, sceptically.

"The Atlas military and the SDC have been working together for years on such a project." Weiss explained. "I had no idea the prototype was anywhere near functional, though."

"To be frank, Miss Schnee, calling it functional at the present time is, optimistic." Ozpin admitted. "If my understanding of the explanation that the Atlas technicians gave me is correct, they have just managed to make it operational. They have no idea how long the shield will hold. Until it fails, however, the only way in or out of the shield without alerting every sensor in ten miles is via the command ship that is generating it."

"Our insertion point." Jaune guessed.

"Correct, Mr. Arc. Commander Winchester and his team entered the shield two hours ago, in order to conduct preliminary investigations. If you accept, we can shuttle you out there in an hour."

"In an hour?" Sun remarked. "We could catch this guy before nightfall with a window like that. Count my team in, Ozpin."

"Mine too." Ruby piped up.

"And mine." Jaune confirmed. "If there's a chance we can finally put this bastard behind bars, for good this time, we're not gonna pass it up." Ozpin smiled at their enthusiasm, glad that their time in Beacon had done more than just make them skilled warriors. Not every student understood the nuances of the social responsibility that was being handed to them.

"Excellent." The old professor drained his mug with a satisfying sigh, before getting up to leave. "I'll have a shuttle made ready to pick you up at the aeroport. I suggest that you take the time to prepare a strategy of attack, not that I had any doubt you wouldn't."

"Of course not." Sage reassured him.

"In that case, I will simply say, good luck." Ozpin limped slowly out of the house, and after he did, the twelve exploded into action, readying weapons, strapping on armour, and formulating a battle plan.

"Alright, Jaune, what have you got?" Ruby asked excitedly once they'd all gathered around the central holo-table in the 'War Room' that they had dubbed the spare room in the back where they kept their tactical equipment. Jaune had proved himself during the conflict as a master strategist, and he often planned their joint missions.

"We're just getting the datafeed from the command ship now. Could you get the lights, Scarlet?" As Scarlet dimmed the lights, the holo-table threw up a holographic render of Mountain Glen, showing the energy shield surrounding it and the command ship floating ominously above. Four markers within the shield showed the transponder signals that gave CRDL's location.

Jaune studied the map for a moment, pondering every detail before him.

"Weiss, can you bring up the armament roster for the command ship?" She swiftly complied, and a list of the vessel's arms suddenly began scrolling through in front of him. He stopped the scrolling, and highlighted an item. Smiling, he formed a plan.

"Ok, this is how we do it. Ruby, Sun and Blake will enter the shield first, and scout the areas that CRDL hasn't. Meanwhile, Pyrrha, Scarlet and myself will drop in and meet up with Cardin. According to this report, the shields harmonic resonance has scrambled his communicator. They managed to tune their communicators to filter out the interference, but not before they lost contact, so we'll have to meet up with him to bring them back into the fold. Weiss, Sage, you two will remain on the command ship and provide tactical analysis. Keep tabs on our transponders and feed us updates. Yang, Neptune and Nora, you'll provide Ren with fire support."

"They will?" Ren asked, clearly puzzled.

"Yes, they will." Jaune smirked, about to arrive at the lynchpin of his plan. "They'll cover you while you're piloting this." He pressed the selected item on the armament roster again, and suddenly the display was replaced with a revolving holographic schematic of the Atlesian Paladin MKII. "Weiss, if you could?"

"Ah yes." She smiled. "The Paladin mark two, the latest development in Atlas' command warfare research. It adds extensive improvements to the original Paladin model. Its weapon systems have been dramatically overhauled, including enhanced plasma torpedo launchers, designed to overload shields and burn through the thickest armour, high-powered railguns in the place of the traditional cannons, for precise and powerful shots, and a shoulder-mounted multi-cannon for heavy battlefield suppression and crowd control tactics." Ruby was practically drooling over the mech. If Ren had been able to fight like he used to, she would have practically begged him to let her pilot it instead. "As well as its heavier ordnance, it features an extensive cyberwarfare suite designed to disable any enemy computer tech and comms infrastructure, as well as protect the Paladin from same. It also offers protection from sophisticated weapons by scrambling the targeting software employed in guided missiles and heavy cannons. Finally, it contains a sophisticated onboard communications suite and battlefield analysis computer, designed to give live tactical and strategic updates and relay the information to friendly forces across any theatre of war."

"And they just so happened to have lugged the only functional prototype out with them on the command ship." Jaune finished. "I'm sure they've been dying for someone to test it for them. Ren, you and your support team will drop in once we've confirmed Torchwick's location. Once you land, your job will be to wipe out any resistance he might mount, while the rest of us move in to capture him."

"Sounds like a plan!" Yang cheered. "If all goes well, we'll be back just in time for happy hour."

"Yeah!" Nora enthused. "And we'll have something to celebrate."

"Damn right we will!" Ruby agreed. "BANZAI!"

"BANZAI!" They all cheered together.

* * *

Ren was preparing Stormflower, something he hadn't done in a long time, down in the workshop. As he finished loading the submachine guns and collared them, he noticed that Yang was struggling to attach her minigun to her arm.

"Here, let me help you." Ren offered.

"Thanks." She said gratefully, offering him the spanner she was using.

"Seems a little heavy for a retrieval operation." He commented as he gently tightened the gun onto its bracket.

"Ah, you know me, Ren." Yang smiled. "I always like to overcompensate, and considering it is Torchwick…" Ren grimaced in agreement. "Besides, why should you get to have all the heavy weapons?" Ren chuckled at that.

"Fair enough. I'm actually somewhat relieved I'm not the only one."

"Oh?" Yang queried. "You think the brand new Paladin won't be enough?"

"Oh, it should be." Ren nodded. "But the fact remains that it is a prototype on its maiden deployment. I'd like a backup, just in case something goes wrong with it – or, me." He confessed quietly. Yang gave him a sympathetic look. Although he was still capable, his injury wasn't as simple as a permanently damaged leg. He was also prone to occasional muscle seizures, blackouts and even temporary paralysis, and if that happened whilst he was piloting a Paladin…

"You'll do fine." Yang insisted, squeezing his shoulder reassuringly. He smiled at her.

"I'm glad someone has confidence in me. Well, someone other than Nora at any rate." They both chuckled – Nora hadn't changed a bit in the way she acted around Ren, not even giving the slightest consideration to the fact that he could only just walk. He tightened the last bolt to its housing, and switched on the support frame. Yang stood up, gently swinging the gun with the ease she expected from it.

"Thanks Ren." She helped him up with her good arm. "Now, let's go knock some heads!" They smiled conspiratorially, before climbing the stairs. As they ascended into the hallway, they saw Blake on her scroll. As they approached, she hung up the call and turned to see them walking towards her.

"I see you're all set." Blake nodded at the hardly inconspicuous cannon that had become Yang's right forearm.

"Likewise." She nodded at her scroll. "Who you talking to?"

"Oh, that?" Blake said. "Just a few, ahem, _old friends_ that I thought could be useful on the mission." Blake gave her _that_ look, to which Yang responded in kind.

"Riiiiight." Yang said. "How many?"

"Just a dozen. Only the guys who joined the Navy will be able to mobilise in time."

"Twelve fighters should be plenty, and more than we were expecting." Ren said. "It will also be good to have soldiers proficient in White Fang tactics. Although the actions of your division have cemented unity between humans and Faunus across Remnant, there are still sects that show considerable discontent with the authorities, and likely one of these is helping Torchwick in his efforts to evade justice."

"Well, not for much longer, hopefully." Blake said, adjusting the cuff of her – Atlas uniform?

"What's with the cosplay, Blakey?" Yang asked, curious.

"It's our cover." Blake answered simply. "If there are White Fang soldiers aiding Roman, it would probably be best if they didn't know who we really are. A group of Huntsmen and Huntresses from Vale and a squad of Atlesian soldiers will simply annoy them. If they see _my_ White Fang boys, however, they'll either be so angry they won't stop until they've killed all of us, or they'll be so scared they'll go to ground completely, and it will be unlikely we'll be able to extract Roman before the shield fails and he can make yet another escape."

"A wise strategy." Ren nodded.

"Yeah, fair enough." Yang agreed. "Are they joining us on the shuttle?"

"No, they're already on the command ship." Blake explained. "My first lieutenant, Porfor Archer, joined the Atlesian navy after the War. His squad are all former White Fang members, most from my people, and two defectors. That way, their cover is also their true identity."

"Nice." Yang nodded, impressed by her partners shrewd strategic acumen.

"The shuttle's been prepped at the aeroport." Sun called from the doorway, Ruby right behind him. "They're ready to dust off as soon as we arrive. Our ride's out front people. Let's go!" With one final check of their weapons, they all hurried out of the door and into the waiting Atlas APV. As they boarded, Yang noticed that Ruby deliberately sat next to Sun in the front seats. _Those two have gotten awfully close recently._ She observed. She had often privately wondered if there was something she should know about between them. She shared a quick look with Weiss, subtly gesturing to the two with her eyes. Weiss discreetly followed her gaze before turning back to look at her with a suggestive eyebrow raised. _So, I'm not the only one who's noticed._ Yang smiled her understanding, before strapping into the seat, her minigun resting across her chest. But she decided to leave it for now. There would be time for relentless teasing later.

As the doors slammed behind them, the sirens from the police escort they had been given blared out, and they took off at considerable speed. Jaune plugged his Scroll into the command console built into the APV, gathering everyone's attention when the holo-emitter blinked into life.

"I thought I'd patch the ship's commanding officer into the briefing." He explained. The hologram suddenly synthesised the image of the commander, and it wasn't who they were expecting.

"General?" Weiss said.

"Yes, Miss Schnee." Ironwood said over the channel. "Considering the number of times that we've _almost_ recaptured this particular target, I thought it prudent to oversee this operation myself."

"Well, I'm glad to be working with you again." Yang smiled. "It's been too long, James."

"That it has." He smiled fondly back at them. "Here's what we know so far. We believe that Torchwick may have set up shop underground, specifically beneath the ruins of the old Merlot Industries headquarters building."

"It hasn't been too long since we last heard that name." Blake shivered.

"No indeed." The general made to continue, but looked again at Blake. "Miss Belladonna, why, may I ask, are you wearing an Atlesian army uniform?"

"Eh, covert ops, General." Blake said. "One of your officers, Commander Archer, used to be my second IC back during the War." She explained briefly how she had enlisted her former colleagues aboard the ship for the operation, much to the general's approval.

"An apt plan. I wish _you_ had signed up as well, Blake." Ironwood commented.

"I didn't want to break up the team, General." She answered truthfully. "And to be quite frank, I'm rather done with full-scale career conflict at the moment."

"Fair enough." He nodded. "As I was saying, we believe he's underneath the wreck of the Merlot building. Team CRDL were moving into that area when, for some reason, their transponders stopped moving. We believe that they have encountered resistance from Torchwick's people."

"Do we know if they're White Fang?" Neptune asked.

"Unconfirmed at this time, but I suspect it's highly likely they are." Ironwood said. "We can confirm that when we make contact with CRDL. Until then, though, we can only speculate."

"Alright." Jaune said. "If CRDL really have found them, we'll have to alter our plan of attack. Ruby, Sun, Blake, you'll still drop in first, but instead of sweeping the area, head straight for the nearest underground exit. Am I right in believing that there is still a safe access point in the waterway, general?"

"You are, commander." Ironwood nodded.

"Ok. Head for the waterway, and make your way through the sewer system. That way, you should be able to approach them stealthily whilst they're distracted by CRDL."

"Ugh. More sewers." Blake voiced her disgust. "I'm calling first dibs on the shower when we get back."

"And us." Ruby and Sun called from the front.

"Alright, alright." Jaune chuckled. "While you're doing that, Pyrrha, Scarlet and I will still move to make contact with CRDL and reinforce them. General, is the Paladin ready?"

"Specialist Man-Darin was somewhat loathe to let his new toy out to a stranger, but he is looking forward to the opportunity to test its systems. It will be prepped and ready by the time you land at the carrier."

"Copy that. Ren, talk with the specialist and get a rundown of its operation. Yang, Nora, Neptune, prep yourselves for a rapid combat insertion. Weiss, Sage, you liaise with the General on the bridge. Once we've assessed the situation, we'll signal for the strike team to make the drop. Blake, what do you wanna do with your guys?"

"I'd like Commander Archer to accompany our team. Lieutenant Glacia and Private Topaz are both good at forward scouting ops, they should go with you. As for the rest rof them, they can drop in with the strike team. They're a good group, they'll work well for you."

Jaune nodded his agreement, and they spent the rest of the trip discussing minor details – contingency plans, sweeping patterns, that sort of thing. Fifteen minutes later, they felt the APV's slow to a halt, and the doors were opened to a squad of Atlas soldiers.

"We were instructed to escort you aboard the carrier immediately." The squad sergeant said briefly. The Hunters duly followed him onto the shuttle, each one wrapped up in their own thoughts, as they usually were before combat. As Sun sat next to Ruby, he discreetly squeezed her hand affectionately. Ruby smiled softly, and then looked across to her sister sitting opposite her. Yang lifted her left eyebrow by a fraction, a smile just being held back – Ruby had the decency to look slightly guilty for her sister's sake, shrugging her shoulders by an almost undetectable amount.

 _Ah well._ She thought. _She had to find out sometime._ Neither of them saw the subtle handshake between Weiss and Blake that facilitated the former quite cheerily handing a fistful of lien to the latter.

Two seats forward of Sun sat Jaune and Pyrrha. Her head was rested on his shoulder, and his head on hers, their eyes closed and their hands linked. It had become a sort of ritual between them; after Pyrrha had seemingly died, and after they had subsequently found her, every time they went into combat together, they always had this little 'alone together' time. They could shut out the universe, so it was just them. They never said anything – nothing needed to be said – but they needed that closeness. Just in case it really was… Well, just in case.

Weiss had sat next to Neptune, an action that didn't go unnoticed by Sage, who gave her a knowing smile as they buckled themselves in. Before they were briefed by Ozpin, Weiss had had just enough time to find Neptune. He was messing with his scroll at the end of the first floor hallway. He looked up as she approached, responding empathetically to the wide smile on her face.

"Hey, Snow Angel. What's up -" Was as far as he got before she flung her arms around him and seized his mouth with her own. When she sensually pulled their lips apart to breathe again, gently tugging on his lower lip with her teeth, she said, "Not a word, Vasilias. Just accept this is happening and remind me why I fell in love with you all those years ago."

From the look he gave her, she imagined that, had Ozpin not unintentionally intervened, she would right now be locked in her room, in a state that was unbefitting of any woman, let alone a Schnee, and loving every second of it as she and Neptune fulfilled four years of unacknowledged passion. But no; Torchwick had to be in striking distance, and they just _had_ to be the most qualified people to hunt him down. Oh well. For now, she would have to settle with incredibly close proximity to her _boyfriend ohmygod she could say it now they really were a couple squeesqueesquee! –_ ahem, and a few shared glances. She would tell the others when they got back – right when they were about to head into battle was hardly the appropriate time to gush about her new romantic status, and gods knew she was going to _gush_ – but for now, just the knowledge that she was very definitely in love, and that he reciprocated, felt gods damned amazing. She just hoped that a certain Atlesian officer wasn't accompanying Ironwood, for once, or things might get a little, awkward. As she pondered that particular predicament, the pilot's voice came on over the intercom.

" _We'll be touching down in two minutes."_ The pilot's clipped voice announced. " _General Ironwood has requested that you proceed immediately to the CIC for briefing. An escort will greet you on the flight deck."_

The moment that they felt the gentle bump that accompanied touchdown, they immediately unbuckled themselves and marched off the shuttle to meet their escort. As she stepped off the craft, Weiss immediately noticed someone who she hadn't expected to see at all.

"Winter?!" She said, pleasantly surprised.

"Hello, Weiss." Her older sister smiled. "Fancy meeting you here."

"I might say the same." Weiss challenged.

"Well, do you remember the promotion I received after the Battle of Noir Voidia?" She explained. "Back then, all it really meant was that I had greater authority in the Atlesian Navy, but now, with the construction of our latest battlecruiser, I was finally given my own commission."

"Wait, this is your ship?" Jaune said.

"Yes, it is." She smiled, her pride more obvious than perhaps she knew.

"Typical." Weiss smiled. "You always did get the better toys." Winter chuckled.

"Well, maybe you should get a commission in the Navy, then."

"Perhaps she should." They were interrupted by General Ironwood. "It would be quite a thing to have both the Schnee girls working for me."

"With all due respect, General, I don't need to wear an Atlas uniform to work for you." Weiss said. "I think we're all past those distinctions."

"Good point." Ironwood admitted. "Captain Schnee, we should head to the CIC. We don't have much time."

"Go on ahead, General. If you don't mind, I'd like a moment with my sister alone."

"Of course." He nodded to the younger woman, before gesturing for the others to follow him. A moment later, Weiss and Winter were left alone on the deck.

"So," Winter started. "How is my dear sister these days?"

"Oh, she's doing well, I hear." Weiss answered, a mirthful smile playing around her face. "Apparently, she's settled down with her friends in Vale, and would be happily enjoying the holiday with them if her sister hadn't dragged her out here on some urgent mission!" Winter chuckled at her sister's teasing animosity.

"Well, the next time you see her, tell her that her sister is very, very sorry to have dragged her away from her oh so important celebrations."

"Harrumph." Weiss crossed her arms in annoyance. "Well, if I must…" It was only a moment before the two women were giggling hysterically. Regaining her composure somewhat, Winter took on a more serious tone.

"Seriously, how are you?"

"I'm fine, Winter." Weiss reassured her. "Better than fine in fact. Everything's on track, everyone is safe and happy, and my life is finally my own."

"That it most certainly is." Winter said guardedly. She suspected that neither of them wanted to broach the subject of their last… family reunion just yet. "You certainly seem a lot happier. Glowing, almost." Winter said, as she was suddenly hit by a long overdue revelation.

"Oh, stop it." Weiss waved her off. "Glowing, please…. You really think so?"

"Yes. Finally becoming romantically entangled will do that to you." The captain tested the waters. She smiled when her sister started sputtering, knowing she was dead on. As usual.

"Romantically entangled?" Weiss almost convincingly chuckled. Again. "What on Remnant do you mean by that?"

"So that look I saw you share with Mr. Vasilias before he followed after the General was just that, then?" She openly dared her sister to deny it. Weiss meant to protest, but couldn't find it in her heart to do so.

"No, Winter, you're right. As usual." Weiss smiled giddily at Winter. "I've finally figured out my heart." Winter pulled her sister into a warm embrace.

"I had no doubt that you would." Her gentle smile became confused when something started vibrating near her sister's heart. "Weiss, is that someone calling your scroll, are you just pleased to -"

"Finish that sentence and I will end you!" Weiss shouted, before pulling her scroll out of her pocket. "Oh, it's Flynt, I'd better take this." She pressed the 'answer' button prompting itself on the screen, and a moment later, she was all business. Literally; after her last, meeting, with the Schnee patriarch, she had pulled together all the savings she could before her father got a hold of them himself, and a couple of months later, had proposed the idea to Flynt Coal that they go into business together. Now, they were the proud owners of Coal Dust Enterprises, and were even beginning to rival the increasingly beleaguered SDC itself.

Winter shook her head, never understanding how Weiss could just switch on and off like that. Yes, she was also a Schnee, and yes she carried herself with what others would call an uptight demeanour, but even she couldn't just transition from happy sister to consummate professional in an instant. She turned and walked smartly towards the bridge, guards saluting her as she passed, and wondered when exactly her baby sister had grown up so much.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Vale, things were a lot less exciting; the fresh snowfall meant that the park was filled with kids having the best fun they'd had in ages; building snow Grimm, waging snowball fights, sledding down the increasingly slushy hills. Ruby eyes took in all this, and the face they belonged to smiled contentedly.

Emerald had lived in Vale since the end of the War, in a beautiful three storied house that faced the park in the centre of the city, the only concession she had allowed to be given to her for switching sides, with valuable intelligence that almost directly led to their victory over Cinder and the White Fang. Despite being offered a position as a career Huntress, she had, at least for now, decided to hang up her guns – which were, in fact, hanging neatly crossed on the wall next to her – and take life at a slower pace.

As she had told Ironwood and Ozpin, she had only taken on a life of crime to make ends meet. Now that she was settled down, with a good job and a better home, she had no intention of going back to the field just yet. The slow life was just too appealing. And besides, she had greater priorities now.

As she sat there, nursing a mug of minty hot chocolate, she heard the door creak quietly, and her smile deepened as she heard soft footsteps pad across the room, before a familiar and comfortable weight climbed into her lap and curled up against her stomach.

"Hey there, baby." She murmured quietly, gently stroking the long, mint green hair of the little girl that was now nestled in her arms.

"Hey, mommy." She replied happily. Emerald leaned down to kiss her forehead gently. At nearly four years old, it was already clear that Pepper had inherited her mother's good looks, with just a touch of her father's roguish handsomeness. Emerald had no idea that she was pregnant when she switched sides, at least not until about a month after the war ended, when she began throwing up every morning for no apparent reason. It had shocked everyone when Pepper came into her life, none more so than herself. But, after the initial shock, and when she got a first glimpse of those big, chocolate eyes, she soon found that she couldn't possibly imagine life without her.

Despite her insistence otherwise, she had always intended to go back to the frontline, this time on the right side, but as she grew into the role of a single mother, such thoughts eventually faded, and now she was quite content to just stay where she was forever.

"Did you have fun in the park with Aunt Neo?"

"I always have fun with Auntie Neo." Emerald chuckled at the muffled reply, before leaning back and waving at the mute woman. When she had left, Neo followed her. Even if she could, Emerald suspected that she wouldn't have even asked. Cinder had rescued them both from a terrible past, but when they saw her plans to destroy the world come to fruition, they knew that the price they had paid for that salvation was just too high.

"Of course you do, sweetie." She stood up, clutching the toddler to her chest. "Why don't we go run you a bath, and afterwards we can bake some cookies." Pepper's eyes lit up at the mention of cookies. Her love for the baked treats could almost match Ruby's.

"Yay!" She hugged her mother, who squeezed her affectionately in return, before jumping out of her arms and running to the bathroom. As Emerald walked out of the study, she embraced her old friend.

"Thanks, Neo, for everything you do for Pepper." She said. Neo just closed her eyes, tilted her head and smiled widely, her expression clearly saying _No problem!_ Despite her inability to speak, Neo always managed to convey her thoughts through her very expressive face. Or at least, the positive ones – negative emotions she tended to convey at the tip of her sword. Emerald smiled as she leaned back from their hug.

"You know, one day, I'll have to pay you back for all this." She chuckled. "But seriously, if there's anything you need or want, just ask. You've earned it." As she rushed down the hallway after her little girl, Neo's mismatched eyes followed her, her smile turning into a sorrowful frown. In a blink, both her eyes turned grey, reflecting the sadness of her soul. _If only you could help,_ she thought. _I might be able to sleep a whole night._

* * *

Blake was watching Ruby and Sun closely as they joked around with each other in the ventral boarding platform, waiting for Porfor to arrive. Now that she really looked, it was obvious that Ruby and Sun were a thing.

 _And to think that you fancied the idiot monkey boy._ Her subconscious chuckled.

 _Oh shut up._ She scolded it. _You liked him too._

 _If I liked him too, you two would already be together and you would be insanely jealous of those two practically undressing each other with their eyes._

 _I suppose._ She relented. _Still, that was twenty lien well spent._

 _Oh, hell yeah._ Her internal monologue was interrupted when Archer walked in the room. She was exactly as she remembered her: tall, sharp and all business, only the slight twitches of her ant-like antennae giving away any form of emotion. She smartly saluted Blake, who returned the gesture in kind.

"It's been too long, ma'am." She said, her large brown eyes just hinting at the pleasure she felt in seeing her friend again.

"That it has." Blake smiled. "I assume you know what we're doing?"

"Yes, ma'am." She pulled her scroll from a pocket in her vest, expanding it to display a tactical scan of the ruins below. "I'm to join you, along with Commanders Rose and Wukong, on a scouting operation into the sewer system of Mountain Glen. Once we have discovered the exact location of the target, we relay the information back to the strike team, and prepare a plan of attack, resulting ideally in the target's capture, or if all else should fail, his elimination."

"Elimination?" Sun questioned, the two lovebirds having joined in Archer's tactical briefing. "Ironwood's not taking any chances this time."

"The general has grown tired of this particular chase." Archer clarified. "It ends today, no matter what."

"I'm glad someone's confident in our abilities." Ruby muttered. "I hope we don't let him escape this time."

"As I said, no matter what." Blake arched an eyebrow slightly. The guilty way in which Archer's antennae quivered (a tell she always denied having) spoke volumes in place of her silence, and Blake knew that there was a backup in play they weren't being told about. Before she could ask, though, sirens began to blare in the corners of the room, and Jaune's voice came over the loudspeaker.

"Team one, prepare for drop in T-2 minutes." As he spoke, the platform began to lower, the backdraft from the carrier's engines whipping their hair and clothes all over the place.

"Copy that, Jaune." Ruby shouted over the engines. "We'll contact you again when we touch down. Rose out." As she grabbed a hold of one of the zip lines, she pulled Crescent Rose from its holster and extended it to full scythe form. The others followed suit, before bracing themselves as the floor beneath them opened out. As Blake looked down, she could see the wrecked buildings beneath them.

"Ok, Alpha team, here's how it's going to go." Weiss said into their earpieces. "When you drop, aim for the tower block immediately below you. CRDL went in that way and cleared it out, so it should still be clear of hostiles. Once you land, make your way to the sublevels through the building; according to LADAR scans, it has clear access to the sewer system. Once there, proceed with the plan. Bravo team will take a shuttle down to the town square. CRDL is pinned down a couple of blocks away from there."

"Solid copy." Sun confirmed. "What about Charlie team?"

"Hopefully, we won't have to use them." Ironwood answered. "But if we do, let's just say you'll know they're coming."

"Gotcha." Ruby grinned. "How long to green light?"

"Ten seconds." Jaune said. "Good luck." Blake counted down the seconds until the drop light turned green, and let the rush of freefall take her as they all slid down the lines. Seconds before impact, they all yanked on their belays and swiftly came to a halt a metre above the roof. Dropping the last short distance, they quickly made for the nearby skylight, Blake holding it open as the others dropped down.

As they swiftly made their way downwards, Blake felt the rush of adrenaline flow through her body. The hunt was on again, and this time, they would not fail.

* * *

 **By the way, if you have any suggestions, or just want to see your OTP plastered all across the interweb, do feel free to poke me with them. Virtually, that is; I'm not sure I'm ready for the experience of being physically poked with someone else's OTP, never mind a plot suggestion.**


End file.
